Nikesoccer

The Players Lounge

adamspangler — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:01:58 GMT

Ever walk into a shoe store looking for a new pair of boots only to fire questions over the heads of employees:

How's the feel of the upper on the ball?
Will this texture affect my ball striking?
Why is the cleat pattern laid out like this?

You want the perfect boot for your game, but it turns out that the hired help doesn’t know the answers to your questions.

Everyone has been there.

Working to right that wrong is the new Nike Soccer Shop and Players Lounge at Soccer Pro Dublin, just east of the San Francisco Bay. Walk into the Dublin, CA, soccer shop confident the people working are players and aware of modern athletes' needs.

To celebrate its grand opening this weekend, on Saturday, October 10, from 2-4pm, the new central valley Nike Soccer Shop location will offer free trials of the new CTR360 Maestri boot and the Nike Soccer+ Elite Training Program, a digital, online experience through which players can access videos featuring drills and advice from pro players and coaches. Released just this week, this is one of the first opportunities for players to get their hands on the technology and feet in the boots.

While you're taking the test drive, Bay Area professional soccer stars Christine Sinclair and Tiffeny Milbrett will be on hand to take your questions and give tips on their favorite training methods.

By the time you leave, you’ll have the tools you need to go from moments of success to 90 minutes of domination.

Soccer Pro Dublin
6635 Dublin Blvd. Suite F.
Dublin, CA 94568
(925)803-4435

Control the ball. Dominate your game.

DonJulio — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:01:39 GMT

Control changes games. It pulls strings. It sparks counter-attacks. It breaks stalemates.

The CTR360 is your new weapon of choice.

From Being the Difference, to Making the Difference

DonJulio — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:14:25 GMT

Last November, Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner was wearing his Pink Mercurial Vapors when he scored the decisive goal in their match against Dynamo Kiev. A substitution that was the Difference in the 88th minute, securing Arsenal's advance into the Quarter Finals of Europe's elite competition.

Bendtner, who also plays for the Danish National Team, has a hearty resolve off the pitch as well.

This week, Nicklas and Team Rynkeby – a cycling team that supports Børnecancerfonden, a charitable foundation for children diagnosed with cancer – will auction his Pink Mercurial Vapors on eBay. All proceeds will go directly to this organization.

Nicklas and his Arsenal teammates have visited child cancer patients throughout England several times, and he quickly became an advocate for this cause.

“Our visits have touched me deeply. It is so hard for the whole family when children are affected by a disease like this. Therefore, it is also incredibly admirable, when organizations such as Børnecancerfonden takes on the responsibility for helping children with cancer,” says Bendtner.

Lay it on the line

crowlala — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 01:00:33 GMT

The pros have made their pledges on how they will Make the Difference. What are you saying?

This is your chance to lay down a marker for your season. Five more goals than last season, win every 50-50 ball, never lose your man.

Whatever your aim, make it public on Facebook.

Then get on the pitch and make it happen.

Make your pledge on Facebook

Feared Far and Wide

crowlala — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:38:44 GMT

Black, brooding and with a V for victory slashed across its chest, Man U’s new strip has been engineered to inspire the away win – before a ball’s even been kicked.

Like the home strip, this kit is rooted in a century of history, with elements taken from the very first Old Trafford season of 1909/1910. It’s been designed to intimidate, with a blue chevron; black shirt, shorts and socks; and ‘The Theatre of Dreams Since 1910’ woven onto the inside label. It’s dark, menacing, and readies the team for another electrifying season.

The Buzz is back

crowlala — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:00:52 GMT

Celtic have swarmed all over the Scottish Premier League title in recent years. Their hunt for further success sees the return of the famous bumblebee stripes to the new club kits for 2009/10.

While the classic home strip remains untouched, the team’s new away kit has the familiar bumblebee colours – volt green and black hoops wrapped around the shirt. On the waistband of the black shorts, a single star symbolises the team’s historic European win, and the 1888 date recalls the year the bhoys began.

The international kit has a white shirt with Celtic tartan shoulder panels; a pattern that also appears on the shorts and socks delivering a shot of national pride as they march into Europe in the new season.

T-90 Ascente Testing – Man Utd

crowlala — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:18:07 GMT

Date: 05.02.09
Location: Carrington
Weather conditions: Very cold and windy. Conditions ranged between cloudy, snowing and sunny. Temperature range 0-1C without wind chill. Well below freezing with wind chill. 0-20 mph winds throughout.
Pitch conditions: Good, short grass.
Players and staff: Full first team, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Darren Fletcher, Wes Brown, Edwin Van der Sar, Ben Foster, Rafael da Silva, Tomasz Kuszczak.

Tester’s notes:

Freezing cold. And more snow. Balls topped off to 12.5psi.

Team session: 15-mins shots on goal from 20 yards. 8 vs. 2 one-touch keep-ball drill. Fast, one-touch session.

Shooting session: Players hammer the ball, Rooney hits hardest – like a sledgehammer: “Feels nice to strike. Especially when you strike it true.” More finishing drills. Shooting from 3 different spots. Players love shooting with it. All-around accuracy improvements.

Get the T90 Ascente from NikeStore

T-90 Ascente Testing – Barcelona

crowlala — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:14:54 GMT

Date: 28.01.09
Location: Ciutat Esportiva
Weather conditions: Clear blue skies, no wind, sunny. Temperature of 15C.
Pitch conditions: Short grass (1.5cm). Good conditions. Pitch was sprayed 10 minutes before training.
Players and staff: The full squad took part, except Gai Yigaal Assulin. Head Coach Luis Enrique led the session.

Tester’s notes:

Warm, clear skies. Perfect conditions. Balls filled to 11psi.

Team session: Running with ball in pairs. Short passes. Headers, chests, volleys. Busquets, coached the keepers: “The touch is perfect.”

Accuracy contest: all players on 16 metre line. Who can land the ball in the centre circle? Puyol took it. Who can hit the cross bar, repeatedly? Iniesta walked away with this one. They say he always does. I like to think the ball helped. Massip: “There’s no wobble, the ball goes straight at its target.”

Shooting session: led by Assistant Coach Joan Barbara Mata: “The ball bends nicely when you shoot.” Next stop Arsenal.

Get the T90 Ascente from NikeStore

In pursuit of accuracy

crowlala — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:05:28 GMT

Watch the innovation story behind Nike’s most perfectly engineered ball: the T90 Ascente. Hear how the designers have accomplished the ultimate in accuracy. Watch the world’s greatest players put the ball through its paces.
And get yours now at Nikestore.com.

The Stars of Italy

crowlala — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:11:30 GMT

There’s no one like Inter. The only club to have never dropped from the country’s top tier, it’s been a century since they won their first major trophy. And they’re not finished yet.

The classic blue and black stripes of the new home shirt – unaligned from back to front – echo the design worn during the 1965/66 season when the club won their tenth Scudetto. The star earned as a result sits proudly above the club’s crest, which itself is enclosed within the Italian flag – an honour only granted to the country’s reigning champion.

The same details are included in the away kit. Only the colours are different – a white polo collared shirt with a black and blue royal band. Inside, both strips display a woven label reading ‘Inter Centenario Del Primo Scudetto’ – Centenary of the First Scudetto. Here’s to another unstoppable 100 years.

CLUB AMERICA IN THE HEART OF SAN FRAN

crowlala — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:38:04 GMT

CLUB AMERICA COMES TO UNION SQUARE, SF

Come support the Club America Soccer Team as they unveil their new Kit and get ready for their US tour.

Friday, July 17th
7pm - 8:30pm
Union Square

Be the first to buy the new Club America jersey at NIKETOWN SF and get it autographed by the team.* You'll receive Club America giveaways just for attending the event** and while you're there, enter to win tickets to the Club America v Inter Milan game on July 19th.

*as time permits: July 17th only.
**while supplies last

Tradition Reborn

crowlala — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:49:01 GMT

The 1980s. Juventus won 11 trophies in a single decade. Back then the shirt was black and white, but with narrower stripes than in recent years. This season the look returns, giving the club a striking appearance and a reignited passion for success.

On the inside of the home shirt, the label proudly shows off the Italian flag with a single lone ‘J’ woven into the centre. The away kit is just as simple: silver shirt, black and white sash, black shorts and Juventus stamped onto the calf of the white socks.

It’s all here in black-and-white. The Old Lady stands rejuvenated, ready for the launch of another glorious season.

Dempsey's Half-Century

Gronamo — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:03:13 GMT

Clint Dempsey earned his 50th cap for the MNT the other night. That’s right, Deuce has been doing what he does best – fearlessly attacking defenses – for a half-century of national team matches.

Number 51 is right around the corner. On Saturday the US hosts Honduras at Soldier Field in Chicago. And along with his audacious, relentless attitude, Clint will bring another weapon to the pitch – a brand new pair of custom “Don’t Tread on Me” Mercurial Superfly boots, imprinted with the name of his baby daughter Elyse. (Design your own Mercurials here).

To ensure his 51st cap is a W, Dempsey has been putting in the hard hours on the training ground. We’re talking no excuses, sweat-dripping, all-out hustle. But, hard work is something Deuce is very familiar with – coming from the States, Deuce had to earn and re-earn his starting spot in the ever-cutthroat EPL. There are no gimmes on the top level.

The US vs. Honduras qualifier (ESPN, Saturday, 7PM CT) is a monumental one. Tune in and show Deuce and the boys some love.

We are European Champions. We are One.

gabejazzy — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:46:32 GMT

Barcelona strode into the Stadio Olimpico, on a mission to become Europe’s greatest. Led by Iniesta, they claimed every ball in midfield,
virtually passing Man Utd into submission as they took down another of the giants of the game.

Lifting the greatest prize in club soccer means that in Pep Guardiola’s first season as manager, Barcelona have become the first Spanish team
ever to win the treble of the league title, the Copa del Rey and now Europe’s biggest prize.

Barcelona were never just 11 on the pitch. Instead, Europe’s finest came together on the night that mattered most.

And, now you have a chance to get the latest jersey of one of the world's most dominant clubs: FC Barcelona.

More than a Club

Gronamo — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:24:26 GMT

The shirt label says it all: “More than a club.” FC Barcelona’s new 2009/10 home and away kits have been designed to inspire the kind of football the club’s famous for – spirited, passionate and oozing Catalan pride.

The home kit flies the club’s famous colors – the Atlantic blue with deep red vertical stripes now bordered with a thin yellow stripe. The Catalan flag, the Senyera, is stamped onto the back of the shirt collar, while the socks have "Barça" emblazoned on the calf.

The away kit is designed to reflect the gleaming Mediterranean. The shirt is bright mango, the shorts that familiar blue. Made to order for a team that fields some of the world’s most dazzling players.